Good One-off Episodic Type Episodes

Discussion in 'General Trek Discussion' started by Mojochi, Sep 13, 2017.

  1. Mojochi

    Mojochi Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Another thread got me thinking I could get some suggestions from the experts, for my viewing habits

    As an old TNG & TOS fan, I lean toward the episodic nature of those shows. That's why I never really got into Voyager & Enterprise. It took me a long time to even get through DS9. I'm not saying they're bad or anything, just a different viewing experience from my norm.

    So when I have stretches of time that I'm watching Trek a bit each day, I like the light fare of a one-off episode, with dinner or something. While almost all of TOS & TNG fit that bill, (& I've gone through them countless times) much less of DS9 does, but I've still found a few that I can toss in the mix, like Hard Time, The Visitor, Children of Time, or Rules of Engagement

    I'm much less experienced on the Voyager & Enterprise catalog, but I do know that from time to time, they dabble in the episodic as well. I'd appreciate some suggestions of good ones on those 2 shows & even some from DS9, I might have forgotten, with which I can pad my rotation of casual viewings. (Mostly so I don't burn out on TOS & TNG all the time)

    Thank you in advance :)
     
    Last edited: Sep 13, 2017
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  2. 1001001

    1001001 Serial Canon Violator Moderator

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    Voyager: Year of Hell (two parter), Blink of an Eye, Living Witness, Death Wish, One Small Step, Relativity, Timeless, Future's End (two parter), Real Life, Prototype, The Omega Directive, Drone, Counterpoint.

    :techman:
     
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  3. sbk1234

    sbk1234 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    A few I've liked:
    VOY: Eye of the Needle
    Learning Curve
    The 37s
    Non Sequiter
    Flashback
    Future's End (two parter)
    Message in a Bottle
    Live Fast and Prosper
     
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  4. Mojochi

    Mojochi Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Nice. Thanks. That's enough to make a difference. Anybody got any from Enterprise?

    Edit: Wait, Flashback? Is that the one with Sulu? I think I've seen that one :D
     
  5. Laura Cynthia Chambers

    Laura Cynthia Chambers Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I've never watched the show, but while reading and contributing to MA, a few come to mind based on the episode synopses.

    "Carbon Creek" (Vulcans hiding on Earth in the 1950s)
    "Similitude"
    "Dead Stop"
    "Daedalus" (meeting the inventor of something episode)
    "Observer Effect" (maybe watch "Errand of Mercy" afterwards)
    "Shuttlepod One" (trapped in a small space, personality clash)
     
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  6. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Premium Member

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    Enterprise:

    "Strange New World"
    "Sleeping Dogs"
    "Fusion"
    "Carbon Creek"
    "Dead Stop"
    "The Catwalk"
    "Canamar"
    "Regeneration" (if you're a fan of the Borg)
    "Impulse" (part of the Xindi arc, but a great Vulcan zombie story. Blalock really shines here)
    "North Star" (Star Trek going back to its western roots)
    "Bound" (interesting take on Orion slave girls)
     
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  7. 1001001

    1001001 Serial Canon Violator Moderator

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    With Enterprise, it really is pretty heavily arced. Not as many stand alone episodes as Voyager.

    Carbon Creek, Dead Stop, and In a Mirror, Darkly (two parter) are my favorites
     
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  8. Bad Thoughts

    Bad Thoughts Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Progress
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    Far Beyond the Stars
     
  9. Mojochi

    Mojochi Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Maybe I'll do a few mini reviews, as I partake of some of the suggestions in this thread. I had me a pretty good binge on my day off today, & while some were better than others, none were so bad to ruin my little marathon. I saw 8 total, in 2 hour groups, at breakfast, lunch, then dinner & at night before bed :)

    Living Witness - I liked this one. It was a tad forced, but Picardo did enough to bring it home. I'm a bit curious or confused. This isn't the real Doctor, right? It's a backup or something left behind, because the episode just ends with him still there

    Blink of an Eye - Also a decent episode, but clearly has trouble fitting into the hour. Some of that planet stuff got a little silly at first. Thankfully they got the Korean guy from LOST in there, & he helped things pick up. I like his acting

    Timeless - a very good concept, & it kept my interest, though I will admit, Wang & Beltran are a bit of a drag in their performances. I'm not a fan of theirs really. A nice cameo & direction from a TNG vet helped, me thinks

    Prototype
    . I do like Dawson, & she is good in this one, & another TNG vet directing. All in all, it was ok, but not very memorable really. I'll probably only remember the silver robot guys, which were kind of silly looking lol

    Counterpoint - A pretty good idea, & done well, but something about Mulgrew & the lead guest actor didn't land with me.

    Deathwish - Kind of feels like we're jumping the shark on Q stories a bit here, but it's a decent episode. Some familiar faces & I liked Q2, so it gets a passing grade.

    False Profits - This wasn't among the suggestions, but as I got scrolling, I found it & realized it was a follow-up to TNG's The Price. It was ok I guess, but somewhat lackluster. Maybe I'll stick to the suggestions. lol
     
  10. Refuge

    Refuge Vice Admiral Admiral

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    (False Profits is not one of my re-watch choices).

    There are some rewarding scenes in Year of Hell (two parts). It's stand alone but if you have built a liking for the characters and their relationships with each other, those scenes are even better. Deadlock is a curiosity too. Actually I like an episode not mentioned much and it is a Chakotay one.. (Tuvok and Janeway are my favourites) anyway Shattered is a bit of fun. The Void is another.
     
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2017
  11. Bry_Sinclair

    Bry_Sinclair Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Voyager is really very episodic, with the reset button pressed pretty much at the end of each episode--which was the real failing of the show, IMHO.
     
  12. CorporalCaptain

    CorporalCaptain Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I'm gonna be the lonely voice again, singing the praises of "Horizon." For me there's a lot to dig there. It's the Travis episode (yay!), it has truck drivers in space, kicking ass with Travis's help, and it has one of my favorite T'Pol lines:
    "Captain, I'm reading bio-signs on the planet. To quote Doctor Frankenstein, 'It's alive.'"
     
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2017
  13. Laura Cynthia Chambers

    Laura Cynthia Chambers Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    And Hawaii 5-0.
     
  14. at Quark's

    at Quark's Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    In fact all of trek, except for parts of DS9, and ENT S3 (and s4 to a smaller degree) is pretty much episodic. But often, there is some continuity in the background, even in the 'episodic' parts.